Not Today
by todayibite
Summary: "I love you." "Camille!" Then her knees collapsed, leaving her completely left to herself. "I just needed you to know." "I can tell you I love you tomorrow" he responded, lifting her up between his arms and running like a fury inside the house. "You're not dying today." Just my personal reaction after the 3x19 promo. Purely Klamille!
1. Not Today

**Author's note:**

 _Just my personal reaction after the 3x19 promo._

 _Purely Klamille!_

* * *

 **Not Today**

 _Camille was running_.

She was going faster, even if her sight was irremediably weakened by the dazzling sunlight that prevented her to focus clearly on the right way.

She exhaled heavily with her mouth, shaking slightly and watching around, already in pain.

Lucien's bite has been physically intolerable; an infinite torture that would brought her to certain death.

Not even the fact that she had become a vampire would have saved her, this time.

She allowed herself to rest for a moment, shocked by the panic and the nausea, getting close to the first available wall in the middle of the street.

She immediately covered the horrible wound on the arm, noting how fast it was getting worse, standing out the repugnant excrescence against the whitish skin.

She perceived continuously the lethal venom crawling like a snake inside her body, already weak and feeble, reducing her the breath and warming her forehead.

And yet, the worst thing wasn't the pain. _No_. But the terrible sensations of emptiness and despair that had surrounded her in the exact moment she realized – because it took more than one second to realize it – that she would've died alone. Inside a house that didn't taste like a house anymore. Without family. Without friends. Without _him_.

"You deserve it" scolded her, brutally, the masculine voice in front of her.

The blonde gulped frightened, leaning more deeply against the wall of red brick behind her.

"Kieran" Camille whispered, worried. "You can't…"

"I warned you, Camille. I begged you to leave this infernal hole, to stay away from all of them. You disobeyed me and this will be your punishment."

Her uncle Kieran was looking unflappable at her, with his lips strained and the eyebrows finely lowered. He was wearing the same ecclesiastical uniform, with the black shirt and the white collar. He wasn't changed, not even a bit, from the last time she observed him in pictures.

"It doesn't make any sense. You are dead. You can't be really here."

"Look what you've become" continued the man, impassive, approaching her and staring at her horrified. "A demon. Satan's slave. You've been marked by the original sin. You don't deserve to walk this earth. You should kill yourself."

"No…" murmured Camille, shaking her head slowly. "It's not my fault. I tried to resist. I did it for you" – she suddenly remembered, smiling at her uncle's ghost – " yes, I did it for you! For us. To protect our legacy and the humans too."

"Liar!" shouted Kieran at her, furious. "You did for yourself! Because you are weak and you are attached to life like a drunk to his wine. You chose the wrong path, the evil one. You drank human blood. Your soul will burn to Hell where no one will save you."

"Stop. Shut up" shouted Cami in return, with her eyes wet.

He wasn't real. He was just a hallucination created by Lucian's bite. She needed to calm down.

Her uncle was dead from a long time, murdered by the same curse that also killed her twin brother Sean. Despite a part of her brain – a lucid part – known that nothing of that was real, Camille was letting herself drag down because of Kieran's ghost. He was pointing to the weakest part of his niece; he was making his way through the guilty feelings of the woman.

"Leave me alone" she answered, determined, starting to walk again. "You'll not hold me here. I have to go. I have to see him."

Camille's legs moved automatically, following blindly the memory of the man who'd stolen her soul.

She needed to talk to him, to touch him one last time. And to explain.

To explain that the things she said the last time weren't true; when she pushed him away, declaring not to love him, declaring to be changed because of the transformation. Telling him to not perceive the same feelings for him as when she was human.

She was changed, but in a different way. She felt alone, scared, powerless, angry, disappointed.

She'd been _forced_ to cut her own throat without saying a word, in front of the man who made her feel important and safe. They've stolen the only moment of extreme happiness from her.

She was dead. Then she was in transition, between life and death, surrounded by distress and oppression. And when she became a vampire, there was the anger: a terrible, limitless anger towards Aurora, who condemned her to an immortal life; towards Klaus, who'd simply let her go, without understanding that she actually needed his help. His confirmations.

Confirmation that even if she was a vampire, she would have always been the same Camille with whom he feel fallen asleep in peace that unfortunate night of December. That would have loved her, even though she was no longer the frail and dependent human he was fond of.

"My sweet Camille."

A new voice forced the girl to stop; she opened her eyes and covered her mouth.

"Sean."

Her twin approached her, piercing the unconcerned people in the middle of the street, like a colored smoke.

He was always been so beautiful, with the blonde hair and the blue eyes. The freckles on his nose and the full lips.

He gently touched her cheek, covered in tears, smiling kindly.

"My little Cami."

Camille shook again her head, more to dissuade herself than to communicate with him.

"You're a hallucination" she murmured.

"You called me" the boy said, careful. "You know why I'm here."

"It was my entire fault."

"Ssh" he comforted her, furrowing his forehead. "It's all Klaus Mikaelson's fault. The same moment he decided to come back to New Orleans, he has sentenced you to death."

Camille trembled, remembering one of the last things Lucien said before leaving her to her fate: _To be honest, your days were numbered the moment you got Nik's eyes._

"But…"

"He dragged you into something bigger than you and me. And now, because of his problems, you'll pay the consequences."

"I'm sorry" moaned Camille. "I didn't want any of this to happen. I swear. I'm so sorry."

She wiggled away, nicely, avoiding the glances of some curious. Her senses were already numb while her head was getting heavier and cloudy.

"It's all right" he reassured her again. "Here" – he said, rising up her left hand and touching her daylight ring – "you'll be able to reunite with me and with uncle Kieran."

Confused and dazed, Camille followed Sean's careful eyes, staring at the blue ring on her middle finger.

"What?" she asked in trance.

"Don't be afraid. Just a second and everything will be over."

"I'll burn" she simply said, as if it was the most normal and obvious thing in the world.

"Your sins will burn for you" replied Kieran, appeared all of a sudden next to Sean. "You'll be finally free to expiate your faults in Purgatory. Far away from Hell. Far away from the Devil."

A last, tiny tear fell off Camille's face. Maybe they were right. It wasn't over yet. It wasn't her fault. Right?

And then…

Camille felt it. Just a whisper. An imperceptible sound, captured thanks to her super hearing vampire's gift. She heard his voice passing through her skin, warm up her cheeks, illuminate her mind.

So she turned away and began to run as if the ground beneath her feet was going to fall at any moment. Without really knowing how or what to do.

"Klaus" she desperately shouted. Starved. Bruised.

And finally she saw him, marvelously confused and perplexed, standing at attention.

"I must hurry before it's too late" explained the blonde, in the grip of pure apprehension. "Because they know I'm here. They'll come looking for me."

"Camille" Klaus started careful, squeezing out his bluish eyes. "Who…"

Then he stopped immediately, paralyzing on his spot. "No" he exclaimed, desperately. In less than a second, he reached the woman, discovering Lucien's scar on her arm.

"Camille…"

The girl smiled, capturing his face between her hands. She would have never had the time to tell him everything she wanted to. No problem. Even so, she would have seen him one last time.

"I love you."

"Camille!"

Then her knees collapsed, leaving her completely vulnerable. "I just needed you to know."

"I can tell you _I love you_ tomorrow" he responded, lifting her up between his arms and running like a fury inside the house.

"You're not dying today."


	2. Infinite Dream

**Author's note:**

 _Hope u like it, guys. I haven't slept for literally 3 days just to write it down. There's a lot of stuff here! Leave a comment; thanks 3_

 **Infinite Dream**

Camille was staring fascinated at the mysterious unfinished painting that a skilled street artist was creating in the center of Jackson Square, mixing together the colors on the consumed palette.

It was a night like the others, there in New Orleans. Music, parades, tourists, adorable confusion.

She stayed in town since a little while and she worked like a bartender from almost a couple of weeks at Rousseau's, in the French Quarter. That particular night she had to replace a colleague who'd preceded her, at the end, appearing without warning and regaining possession of her own turn.

"No offense, Camille" she said, winking at her. "You know, work is work."

"Of course" replied the blonde, smiling gently and opening the green eyes widely. "You need help?"

"Nah" Max shook her head, cleaning the counter with a dusty cloth. "There's no one, tonight. It's quite peaceful but tomorrow…wait a minute" – she murmured, reaching the two habitual costumers who had just been joined by a third person – "What can I bring you, guys?"

"Your oldest scotch. For my two friends here, love."

The new one, a man overexcited with a cute accent, delivered her a generous 100 dollar bill without batting an eyelid.

"Nice catch" congratulated Cami in front of Max's satisfied face.

"He's a tourist. He has to be. They're the most generous people when it comes to release tips."

"Right."

 _Camille._

 _Camille._

"Camille!"

Cami opened her eyes, slowly, finding herself lying on a bed. She felt numb, tired, as if someone had thrown her a huge, heavy stone. She blinked a few times, bending her head to the side.

Klaus was looking at her, worried, hesitant, raising his eyebrows.

"I had a dream" she said, with boiling and dry lips. "Or maybe was another hallucination. I can't understand."

"Let me guess. A hot night with a charming vampire named Klaus."

Camille laughed in a whisper, making a deep breath. "You were there. Actually, was the first time we met. At the bar. But I wasn't working, this time. You gave the 100 dollar bill to another girl."

"Shame on me" answered Klaus, with the usual impudent grin.

The blonde frowned, lifting up painfully her head. "How bad is it?"

"Don't worry" he assured her, making her lay on the pillow once again. "I'll keep you safe. I swear."

"Klaus…"

"You should rest and…"

"Klaus, stop. Lucien bit me and we know that not even your blood would save me this time. I'm dying."

"You're not going to die" the vampire shouted impetuous, showing all the anxiety and fear through his teary eyes. "I will not let that happen. Not again. I lost you once already. We'll find a solution. Freya is here, looking for a spell; Elijah and Hayley are headed to the Bayou. You'll be fine."

Camille nodded, wordless, relaxing thanks to the gentle touch of Klaus against her sweaty forehead.

"'I'll keep you safe, Camille."

" _He's lying_."

The girl saw Sean again, at the foot of the bed, shaking his blonde head. "You know he's lying."

"That's what a monster does" sang Kieran, leaning against the wall at the other side of the room.

"Go away" Cami said, exhausted and scared. "You're not real."

"Camille" whispered Klaus, taking her hand. "What's going on?"

"They…"

"Yes, Cami. Tell him what's going on."

A feminine voice froze Camille's heart; the blonde moved away from Klaus and turned to the right. "No…"

Aurora was laughing out loud, getting close to Camille.

"Hello, Cami."

" _You_. You are another hallucination. Stay away from me!"

"Oh, come on. What a crybaby."

"Camille! What's going on?" Klaus continued to ask.

"What the hell you want from me?"

"I'm one of _your_ hallucination, darling. This means that _you_ want something from _me_. Isn't it funny?"

"Get out of my head!" shouted Camille, angry. "I beat you, last time. I won."

"What, uh? Klaus's heart? War? Came on, my dear. You're dying. You failed Klaus. You are not the sweet and angelic little girl you wanted us to believe. You would never been able to save him from the darkness. You have his same shadow. He will never love you. This is _pathetic_. You know it too. "

"It's your fault."

"You're…quite annoying."

"For God's sake, Camille. Talk to me!" Klaus's voice was even more distant and incomprehensible.

"She _is_ a victim" Sean said, getting close to the vampire. "Klaus Mikaelson's victim! It's only his fault. I already told you, Camille. You wouldn't have had to meet him in the first place. Like in your dream."

Cami jumped immediately, remembering her dream where Klaus had spoken to another girl.

"It was you? What are you doing to me?"

"We are helping you" Kieran comforted her, conjoining his hands. "You will die far away from the sin."

"You will forget him" murmured the twin, sweetly.

"No…"

"Who's the craziest, now?" asked Aurora, laughing again.

This time, Camille started to tremble, shaking under the covers. "I don't want to. I can't. Stay away from my head. Help!" she yelled loudly.

She perceived two new arms pushing her against the bed. Freya's arms.

"It's the poison" Klaus's sister said, trying to stop Camille. "She's having hallucinations."

"Do something!" screamed the man. "Help her!"

Suddenly, the blonde's head became heavy, cloudy. Freya's spell, of course.

Little by little, the hallucinations disappeared, sparkling, muffling marvelously the room.

"Camille; can you hear me?" Klaus called her, whispering kindly.

Cami breathed heavily, in the grip of spasms.

The last thing she saw was the face of the man she loved. And then, nothing else.

...

"Tell me something" Klaus demanded rudely, looking at Freya. "Tell me you found a solution."

Freya blinked, sighing heavily. "Maybe."

"Enough with _maybes_ " said Klaus, with his curls falling disordered off his head. "I want assurances."

"This…is the only word I can give you now."

The man touched lightly Camille's cheek, watching for a moment the obvious scar on her arm, caused by Lucien's bite.

Then he stood up, leaving the room, followed by the witch.

"What's this maybe?" he asked, visibly exhausted.

"I spoke with Vincent – "

"Oh, what a fortune; another incompetent joining the gang. Who else wanna come? There's only Camille's life on the knife-edge!"

"Klaus" his sister scolded him, visibly tired too. "We are all trying to help Cami. I lost Finn, did you forget?"

The vampire bowed his face, taking a breath. "Pardon me."

"Yes" answered Freya, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder. "We can make it, if we'll stay together."

Klaus nodded, clenching his jaw. "What about Vincent?"

"We may have found a temporary solution. To buy some time before Cami..."

"What is it?" asked Klaus, in a whisper.

"Well…something about Camille's dark objects."

...

"What are we searching for, exactly?" asked Marcel, looking around.

Cami's apartment was still upside down, full of rubbish and overturned furnitures.

"Something small. Like a watch" Vincent said.

" _That's_ really helpful" the vampire joked.

"Yeah. That's all I know, man. It's like some kind of compass. Quartz, circular, with golden hands. "

"All right."

The two went to work, examining the room and digging among the dark objects of the O'connell's family.

"We will save her, won't we?" asked all of a sudden Marcel, nervously.

Vincent sighed loudly, continuing to browse the dark objects. "I don't know. This...is a temporary escape. A dangerous loophole, okay? But if Klaus's sister will be able to channel the compass with Camille's life, we'll have more time to find a cure for Lucien's poison."

"How does it work?"

"We halt time" explained the wizard, gesticulating as always "Camille's lifetime, actually. Magic will preserve her body, preventing her to die or getting worse. It's like a magic coma, more or less."

"Hey."

Vincent turned around, recalled from Marcel. "What?"

The vampire was paralyzed, with a serious look, holding on his hands an object smaller than he would had thought. It really looked like a compass, with covering of hyaline quartz, nearly transparent with a darker background, protected by a glass envelope, with long golden hands and strange runic symbols.

"Oh…here we are" murmured Vincent, nodding.

"What about her mind?"

"Mh?"

Marcel squeezed tightly the compass, staring at his partner. "You spoke about the effects of the spell on Cami's body. What will happen to her mind?"

Vincent licked his lips, turning behind.

…

A new wave of color attracted Camille's attention, suddenly founding herself in the center of Jackson Square.

She tried to collect her thoughts, furrowing her forehead.

She had left the bar; she was lost on the street, chasing a strange and probably crazy guy; she stopped, studying the beautiful picture in front of her.

Here, yes. That's how it went.

The painting portrayed a face. A simple, anonymous face. It could have been the expression of a man, or the face of a woman. The particular contours of the picture told a complicated story; more than complicated. One side of the face was clear, bright, with the complexion born from the harmonious marriage between pink and white. The other parts, on the contrary, become darker, gloomy; it showed a shady and mysterious profile.

There was something deeply fascinating and horribly scary in all of that. Cami's mind worked freely, catching her old psychological reminiscences.

It showed the human nature in all of his parts: light and darkness, good and evil, yin and yang. The man and the beast.

With the corner of her eye, she noticed someone getting closer to the painting and God knows why, she was aware she knew him better than anyone else in the entire world.

She wanted to talk to him. Or not?

What the hell was going on?

She had the feeling she already lived that moment, but in a totally opposite way. Then, she realized that the man with the cute accent was leaving, walking away.

She jumped ahead, placing him side by side, trying to have a casual conversation.

"The 100 dollar guy."

The man turned to her, clearly astonished, opening lightly his lips and flaunting immediately an impudent smirk. "Do I know you, love?"

Camille shook her head. "I saw you at Rousseau's. You left a really generous tip to my colleague."

"Well… _Camille_ " – he began, reading her name over the blonde's working nameplate – "not many girls would approach a stranger on purpose – an handsome one, I'll grant you – maybe dangerous, at night. You are quite brave; with a delicious French name."

"I…" she said, blinking. Damn, he was right.

"Yes?" he continued, with a satisfied smile.

"I can take care of myself, thanks. Sorry for bothering you. Good night" the blonde answered touchy, stopping and turning towards the painting.

"Oh, not at all, love. That's probably the best moment of the day. So, _Camille_ , you were quite absorbed by the picture over there."

"So you _did_ notice me too, after all. Right?"

"Guilty" he said, this time gently.

Cami smiled, pleasantly surprised by the man's attention.

"Call me _Cami_. Grandma's name" – she confessed, looking up the sky. Then, she turned again towards the picture. "And yes; it's amazing, isn't it?"

"Do you paint?"

"No…but, I admire" she answered, happily at ease. " _Every artist has a story, you know?_ "

...

"Klaus?"

Camille woke up after the very same dream\hallucination, finding herself close by the original vampire.

She still felt weak, sick, with her body painful and her mind cloudy.

Klaus, on the other hand, did not seem to feel better. He was pale, troubled, with his full lips tightened into a worried face. He smiled softly, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"You awake."

"I'm sorry. It's not really cute, wasting my last moments just sleeping."

" _Camille._ "

Cami smiled, making fun of him. Not that the _last moments story_ was a lie. But, anyway.

"I – "

"Let me guess again; another hot dream?"

"Ha ha. Well, yes. But I need to talk to you about something different, this time."

Klaus's eyes sweetened and his cheekbones rose up. "Whatever you want."

She observed him, painting with her mind his clean profile.

"I'm sorry, Klaus."

The vampire watched her confused, furrowing his forehead.

"I've been a truly bitch, lately. What I told you last time – that the part of me that loved you and hoped for your redemption was gone – I lied. I was angry. And scared."

"That – "

"But I do love you, you know? Human or not. And I still…see your soul. The same of the painting's face. Remember? The Jackson Squares painting. A part of light and a part of darkness. I've figured it out immediately. You are alike. And...despite that, I stayed and I watched it; because it was beautiful. And you...you are beautiful."

Klaus fell silent, with his eyes wet. Then he tried to talk opening his mouth, but became silent again. He touched her cheek with his knuckles, as he always did. "It's all my fault" he finally said, with his voice trembling. "If it wasn't for me, if I'd just left you alone, out of this dirty and devilish world, you'd still be alive. Healthy. That night – "

Suddenly, Cami felt drag down. She perceived her blood become hot, burning her meat. She opened her eyes wide, staring at the man.

"Camille!" said the vampire, holding her between his arms, frightened.

It all happened in an instant.

Cami's body was shaken by violent hiccups that shattered her chest and stopped her breath.

The room around her started to turn, making her hard to focus on the vampire.

"Freya! Vincent!" Klaus shouted, going crazy. "Camille, don't do this. Don't leave me now. Fight!"

Camille felt tears in her eyes, looking Klaus's wet cheeks.

She was dying, right?

The room was suddenly filled with familiar faces: Freya, Vincent, Hayley (such a strong and amazing woman), Elijah. Even Marcel.

Klaus still shouted in the distance; then was the turn of a strange music comparable to magic spells.

Something cold got stuck between her hands, vibrating and pulsating. She heard a weird noise, like broken glass. And the pain stopped, dragging her inside an _infinite dream_.


	3. Sleeping Clockwork

**Author's note:**

 _Hi guys, sorry for the delay but I had to study really hard!_

 _So, they killed her. The authors killed my Cami and I cried so much. I swear. I haven't got over the shock yet. I want to be honest with you: I'm done with TO. After Cami's death I made this decision and that's all. The past years I continued to see the show because of Leah Pipes and her wonderful character. And now…they KILLED her. I mean, why? What the hell? U crazy? Please tell me what you think. I want to know your thoughts. And obviously even if I'll stop to see the show, I'll not going to stop writing the story. So, here the chapter and let me know if you like it! Thanks for the last reviews; you made me really happy._

 _Two last things: will you find the crossover with TVD (eheh)? And next chapter: Klamille's meeting. Enjoy :3_

* * *

 **Sleeping Clockwork**

Klaus held back his breath, concentrating on the figure laid on his bed.

Camille rested powerless, apparently dead, with her eyes closed and her relaxed face.

At the beginning of Freya's spell, a strange, sparkling mist circled her body, perforating her from part to part and paralyzing her, making her immune to Lucien's painful bite.

Vincent had rapidly put a tiny object between the blonde's hands, like a compass, that suddenly had begun to flash until the cover of glass crushed inside the compass, injuring Cami's skin.

Then, after Camille's green eyes were closed and the girl was fainted, the broken glass reconstructed again, trapping inside the compass a bit of Cami's blood.

"Is she…" whispered Hayley, first among everyone, visibly confused and scared.

"No" answered Freya, coming near the bed.

"We made in time" Vincent said, sighing heavily.

"In time for what?" asked Elijah, removing his hand from the pocket and raising it up gracefully at the top of his chest. "What happened?"

Vincent shook his head, stammering incomprehensible words, incapable of divert his gaze from the blonde girl between Klaus's arms.

" _Sister_?" persisted Elijah, turning to the witch.

Freya sighed, puckering her lips. "I't's…a sleeping spell. Camille's dark object – the compass between her hands – can stop her vital time, keeping her alive but trapped inside a sort of limbo. She will not be able to wake up, unless we find a cure that would save her."

"How's that possible?" asked Hayley, opening her eyes. "She's not dead, but she's not even alive. What…God!" – she complained, biting her lower lip – "I can't understand."

"She's sleeping" suggested her Marcel, speaking for the first time with suffering voice. "Forever."

Klaus touched lightly Camille's cheek, staring at her intensely. "I can't hear her" murmured the vampire with trembling voice, holding the emotion.

"Brother" called him Elijah, nicely.

"I can't hear her heartbeat. I can't hear her breath. She's dead."

"You are wrong, Niklaus" Freya corrected him, walking by his side. "Listen carefully and focus on the compass. Calmly."

Klaus closed his eyes, moving his attention from the body to the dark object between Cami's hands. At the beginning he didn't feel anything, too distracted considering her pale and cold skin. Then, with difficulty, he started to perceive something; a weak and blurred rhythm, like a clouded sound coming from behind a close and unattainable door.

He perceived Cami's blood pulsate and vibrate inside the compass, identical to the sound of a human's heart. His senses captured a delicate and familiar breath, making him jump.

"Camille?" he whispered, opening his eyes.

"She might seem dead, but she's not. Her blood works like a connection between this dimension and that inside the dark object. She's inside the compass, now. Or at least, her mind" she explained.

"Yeah, but what's inside?" asked Hayley.

"Smart question" said Marcel, sharp, watching Vincent in return.

"We don't know" replied the wizard, scratching his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Was our only option, ok?"

"We should have asked Camille's permission. We don't know what could live inside a dark object. No one of us had the right to decide for her" said Elijah to the rest of the people.

"There wasn't enough time – " began Freya.

"I _do_ " said Klaus, turning his head and harden his gaze. "I can't lose her, Elijah. Not again. Camille will have plenty of time to hate me but at least I'll know there's still hope."

"I just _hope_ you haven't condemned her to a fate worse than death. Because whatever… _thing_ she will meet inside the dark dimension, it will accompany her for a long time."

No one spoke for some minutes; then, Marcel went irritated downstairs, followed by an exhausted Vincent who looked at Camille one last time.

Hayley, on the contrary, walked carefully towards the girl on the bed, caressing her blonde hair. "You are strong" she murmured "you can do this, Cami. I know you can. You're the only one who can face this crazy situation. Hold on, ok? We'll get you out of there."

She hurled a final glance at Klaus – a hurt, depressed and broken Klaus – nodding at her own encouraging words. She turned around and touched lightly Elijah's shoulder (a gesture that had become her personal help in difficult cases and that helped her to relax); so she left, reaching her daughter.

"I want to see her" Klaus told his sister after a pause.

"It's dangerous."

"I don't care!"

Elijah raised his chin, watching the ceiling. "We have to find Lucien. It's not over yet, brother. We are still at war."

"We will have our war after I'll be assured that Camille is safe."

Freya sighed tilting her head, looking at Elijah and then at the hybrid, scared to the idea of a fight between the two brothers. "You can reach her mind, but you have a limited time – "

"Oh, please…" interrupted her Elijah, whispering bothered.

" – But Niklaus, you _can't_ absolutely use any mental trick. Do I make myself clear? That's not our dimension anymore; it means that's the dark object to rule. Don't do anything stupid that could put her in danger. Are you listening?"

The vampire nodded, putting a hand over Camille's.

"I'll keep her safe" he said, _closing_ his eyes.

...

When Camille _opened_ her eyes, she could only see an infinite field of obscurity.

Around her there was nothing; no object, no person, no landscape. She was surrounded by the gloomy and opaque darkness that kept her imprisoned like a rare and luminous flame.

A slight background noise made her stand up on her feet, suggesting her to listen carefully. It seemed like an indistinct word; like vaporous and impalpable breaths. There was someone, with her; someone who encircled her from all sides, whispering hidden by the dark mist.

She looked around, in vain. Then, after she swallowed and exhaled deeply, she tried to focus her memories on a concrete and solid thought. Klaus.

What was happened? She remembered the vampire's tears, the people inside the room, the curious noise of broken glass and a strange, last sensation of tingling to her fingers.

She was dead, right?

 _Dead_.

That word shook her deeply, pushing her to look at the injured arm. Lucien's scar was vanished, just as the pain and the hallucinations.

The whispers became more insistent, forcing the girl to check around. "Klaus?" she shouted prudent, opening her green eyes. "Is that you?"

New whispers, new rustles.

"It's not funny" she said irritated, trying once again to catch someone beyond the dark forest. She hadn't imagined a welcome like that in the afterlife. Not even flowers and chocolates; obvious. Maybe a cheerful headstone with a simple writing like _You lived well now do whatever you want. Bye_. Or still the possibility to hug her beloved (not hallucinations anymore!), to walk barefoot in beautiful gardens with unicorns and fairies and peek at the living above the clouds – this made her seems like a perv.

"Welcome."

A new voice attracted Cami's attention, warming her mind and her thoughts. The girl glimpsed an animated figure; a spotlight in the middle of a dark background. The figure moved jerkily; she walked slowly and then she appeared ahead in the space like some kind of special effect used in a film or a videogame. _One-two-three, jerk, one-two-three, jerk_.

She had naked feet and legs (woman's legs), covered by white semitransparent dress with golden squiggles that stood out her rosy and clear skin, while on her shoulders she had a sort of plumed cloak.

Her face was protected by a huge and striking mask from which came out a myriad of small white braids; the same mask (blue and white, bird-shaped) was covered at the bottom with feathers of various sizes, with golden beak and golden outline.

But at the top there were several incisions (Cami recognized the gears of a clock, figures similar to men with wide open arms from which came out blood, pyramids, angels with trumpets. Words written in greek and latin) surrounded by pearls and strange runes around it.

"Who are you?" asked Cami, enchanted by the particular and mystical vision. "Where are we?"

"You can call me whatever you like. I have many names, I can't remember them all. Maybe you could give me a new one."

Cami could hear the alien's voice talking, despite her lips weren't been opened. She was in her mind. It was all in her mind.

The bird woman smiled, letting the blonde see a couple of eyes dark like the tar and sharp teeth like knives. "I'm inside your mind, now. Like yours is inside mine. That's my power."

"What power? What is this place? Answer me!"

The figure restarted her usual rhythm, surrounding Camille and shaking her plumed cloak. _One-two-three, jerk, one-two-three, jerk_.

"I've already told you. You are inside my mind. Maybe you called it _dimension_. In your world. I don't know. I've never really been out of here. This is my only border."

Here where?, thought the angry girl. Ok, she needed to concentrate and do the right questions. But which one?

"Focus, Camille."

Cami jumped, looking for the masked woman.

"You know my name?"

"I do know you. All of us do."

"Us?"

"The others like me. My brothers and sisters. Your legacy."

"My…my legacy" murmured Cami, thinking carefully. "It's not possible."

"Why not, if you're here, talking with me?"

"Because…you would be human. And that's…I…It's impossible."

"I'm not human" said the feminine voice inside her head. "I'm alive."

Camille closed her eyes; she needed to throw up.

"So" whispered again the voice, while a wing beats cooled the blonde's back "who am I?"

The girl opened her green eyes, turning slowly and finding herself face to face with the figure.

"You're the _Sleeping Clockwork_. One of my dark objects."

...

First thought in Cami's head: _It all makes sense_.

That was one of the dark objects that the girl had collected and labeled after been transformed in a vampire.

She nicknamed it so because it resembled her vaguely a clock (or a compass) and had the ability to suck you in it, dropping the chosen victim in a kind of magical coma.

During her last moments of lucidity, she had felt something cold in her hands and had clearly heard the sound of broken glass.

From what she remembered, the object worked in a particular way: through a specific spell it stole a bit of your blood and used it as a bridge between the two dimensions, trapping the blood inside the compass.

The blonde's second thought arrived almost in sync with the third.

 _I'm still alive_ and _They locked me here_.

"Sleeping Clockwork. I like it."

"I'm inside…I mean, my mind is inside your dimension. That means I'm still alive and my body's sleeping, blocked in a sort of magic limbo." She needed to say it out loud for not going crazy.

"Smart as always, Camille."

 _Thanks_ , thought the blonde ironically. I'm really proud of myself. Gosh.

"What will happen to me now?"

"Your physical body will continue to sleep. Your mind will be trapped here until someone will let you out."

"They need to find a cure. Or I will die" said Cami, finally realizing what was happening to her. To die or to wait eternally inside the dark dimension. Thanks again, Lucien.

"You'll need to survive here, first."

"Sorry?"

"I'm your legacy, Camille O'Connell; that makes you're a sort of my – ours – proprietress. That's why I've allow you to enter so easily inside my world. Not everyone, over the centuries, has found the door opened like you. But, I can't exonerate you from the effects that this dimension will produce to your head. Many of you went insane waiting to be reawakened. Someone became aggressive, someone committed suicide. Some are still stuck here, lost themselves and forgotten who they were once."

"I will not going mad. I will not forget who I am."

The masked figure stared at Cami with the black eyes so long to make her believe that the conversation was over. Then, for the first time, she opened her mouth and spoke in a stern voice. "Everyone say always the same thing. But eventually, only a few of you will really be saved."

"How many people escaped from here?"

"I'm not the only one who can trap you. There are many other brothers and sisters, more or less strong than me. One of them, the Phoenix Stone, has been lost forever, releasing thousands of dark souls on your land. As you can see, no one is safe. There is no guarantee of salvation."

"I know" answered the blonde, sighing deeply. "I know well."

"Then – "

The dark object suddenly stopped, raising violently the feathers over the cloak.

"What's happening?" asked Cami, noticing the dark fog become less dense.

"Someone's trying to break in. A man. A vampire."

Klaus, thought Camille, grabbing desperately at that hope.

"Fool."

The Sleeping Clockwork split for a second, making sparkle the golden squiggles on her dress. After that, the incision at the top of her mask began to animate and her skin started to become darker and tough.

"Wait!" shouted Cami, blocking the combative woman. "Stop, please."

"Don't stop me, Camille O'Connell. _Ever_."

"I know, I'm sorry" she said, pulling back.

Around her, the voices had become more insistent and Cami noticed out of the corner of her eye some figures like ghosts through the dark cloud.

There was an increasingly insistent wind that shook her blond hair and cooled her nose. "Let me talk to him. Please. I'll send him away. Please. Let me talk to him. Five minutes. I'll do everything you want. Please."

Now she was terrified. Not for herself, but for what they could have done to Klaus. And if he also had been trapped? She couldn't allow that.

The ghosts became closer to her, showing Cami hideous monsters with naked bodies and deep burns, torn lips and white eyes. Horns that sprouted from bald heads.

"Fine" said the masked woman, immobilizing the monsters and grabbing the girl's face. "You owe me one, Camille O'Connell."

And then she kissed Cami, staring at her with the black, limitless pupils.


	4. The Night We Met

**Author's note:**

Hi guys! After almost a year, I decided to publish a new chapter because you wanted it so badly and I can't tell you how much I appreciated your enthusiasm. I don't know if I'll continue the story, but please let me know what you think.

As always, thanks for everything and for your beautiful and inspiring comments.

p.s. I still can't stop crying looking at my precious Klamille's videos :3 HELP ME.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **The Night We Met**

When Klaus finally opened his eyes, he found himself inside an unknown dimension. Around him there was nothing, not even a concrete thing; the darkness surrounded him, while cold and dangerous voices were getting more and more closer, pulling him back, carefully.

"Camille?" he shouted, trying to sharpen his gaze and holding off simultaneously the strange creatures in the distance.

A weird noise, similar to huge wings flapping, lightly touched his ears, making him jump on the spot. Unexpectedly, underneath him, the ground began shaking – not shaking, pulsing – burning him his skin and stealing his oxygen.

The vampire touched his throat, incapable of breathing, widening his bluish-green eyes. He glimpsed his father's face among the disgusting monsters and Klaus's heart accelerated wildly. Mikael Mikaelson started to run toward him, with the silver dagger in his hand. Klaus, frozen, prepared for the worst but a sudden light blinded him, deafening him and perforating him.

Again, he opened his eyes, this time slowly, and the darkness was gone; in its place, clear and beautiful like it had been real, there was New Orleans. Klaus held his breath, half-closing his mouth, remaining paralyzed. He was sure he hadn't used his mental powers and he was also sure he saw his father.

Then, how? How was it possible? He remembered Freya's words instantly: _That's not our dimension anymore; it means that is the dark object to rule_.

The dark object. It meant he was helpless, there, and he couldn't have used his power in order to protect Cami.

The blonde's thought woke him up from his state of confusion and the man focused his attention on the place in front of him. He smiled slightly, a bit nostalgic, at the bar where the girl used to work: _the bar where they first met_.

…

Camille was sitting on the stool when Klaus walked into the bar. She saw him opening his lips and raising his eyebrows, whispering " _Camille_ " with such a comforted and caring voice that the girl almost didn't burst out crying. She ran to the handsome vampire, hugging him in return.

"Camille" he repeated, observing her carefully, checking that she was safe. Then, without waiting for an answer, he controlled her arm, caressing it with his fingers. "It's gone. Lucien's bite. It's gone. If only it were real."

Cami smiled again, squeezing his hand. "Hey, it's gonna be okay, Klaus; don't worry, I'm fine."

He clenched his jaw. "It's all my fault. If only I'd killed them before…Lucien, Aurora…I was wrong to deny you the satisfaction of revenge."

"No, listen" – the blonde sighed, opening her big, green eyes – "I know I'm supposed to be this big, bad vampire, but all of a sudden I'm not so hung up on revenge. Am I angry at what Aurora did to me? Yeah.

And I've been living in fear of what else she might do but... all of that anger and fear, it's not me. I'm the kind of person that helps people like Aurora.

I'm not gonna let her take that away from me."

He nodded slowly, giving her that crooked smile she adored so much. "Camille; the brave bartender."

She chuckled, leading him forward and positioning herself behind the counter.

"Do you remember? The first night we met?"

He smiled, playing along and sitting in front of her. "Of course, love. You were the prettiest one."

"And you were the weirdest" the girl said, winking at Klaus. "What can I get you?"

"Bourbon. Neat."

"Neat? Either you're extremely sophisticated or you've had one hell of a day."

"Need the two be mutually exclusive?"

The blonde poured him the alcoholic beverage, losing in her own thoughts.

"I loved being a bartender. Endless parade of faces. Each night, someone new would come in with a good story. One guy is shy, the other won't shut up. I used to think, if you just give someone a little booze, they'll tell you anything. And then I realized it wasn't the alcohol. People just want someone to listen."

Klaus laughed, looking at her. "Yes, well, you are quite adept at listening. In fact, I would go so far as to call you a connoisseur of stories. Particularly mine."

Cami touched her neck, blushing a little "Speaking of stories, you know – during my hallucinations – I kept dreaming about this place. About you."

Klaus lifted his head, smiling seductive "Ah, yes! The famous hot dreams."

"Yes. No. Well…" Camille turned embarrassed, biting her lip. Then, putting on a brave face, she breathed deeply, looking at Klaus. "I saw what would have happened if I'd never served you the scotch that night."

"I've already told you" said Klaus, leaving his drink and moving close to Camille. "If it wasn't that night, this bar, that 100 dollar bill, it would ha – "

"Actually" she interrupted him, covering his mouth with her hand "I was the one who chased you in the end. _AND_ _YES_ – " the blonde exclaimed before he could rebut "you would've left without even taking a look. God, I was so shocked" she continued, shaking her head. "But then, when I woke up, I understood."

Camille smiled gently, taking away her hand from the vampire's mouth. "It wasn't you, but me. _I_ would have found _you_ , Klaus. _I would have found you_."

Klaus looked intensely at her, speechless. He really didn't want to talk. Not now. Not with Camille's body so close to him. Not with her sweet scent inside his nose. That's why he kissed her. Desperately, softly, like it was the end of the world.

Because, actually, that _was_ the end of the world; _his_ world. No one had ever said something like that to him. And now, his heart was definitely broken. They would have been apart, who knows for how long, and he wasn't so sure he'd have made it without her.

All of a sudden, the bar around them changed, vanishing, and a strong wind blew them from side to side.

"Camille?" shouted Klaus, holding on the girl.

"It's her" screamed the blonde, trying to find the Sleeping Clockwork inside the wind. "My dark object."

" _It's time_ " echoed a deep, resounding voice. " _You have to leave_."

"No, Klaus" cried Camille, starting to shake. "No. Oh, God. I wanted to be brave. I wanted to handle this with dignity, but I can't. I don't want you to go. I'm so scared."

The man hugged her, protecting her from the cold wind. "I'm here, I'm here."

"I needed to tell you so many other things" the blonde whispered against his chest. "I needed to thank you because you showed me your whole life. Because you wanted me to understood you and that's a human impulse. If you're capable of that after everything you've been through, then you're capable of everything else that comes with being human. Joy, hope, love. Do you know that, Klaus? You are loved. By Elijah. Rebekah. Freya."

"Why are you telling me this?" suffered Klaus, closing his eyes.

"Because love will make you strong. It will make you the man that I know you want to be. And you'll have to remember that…Because I won't be here to remind you."

"No, no, no, not yet. Just stay a bit longer. Please. Please, Camille."

"So much for the brave bartender, huh? I just wish I had done more than to serve a few drinks and fail completely as your therapist…"

Klaus looked at her, squeezing Cami's shoulders to reassure her. "Don't you think for a _moment_ that you failed me. You stayed my hand, quelled my rage. You inspired goodness in me…"

" _You have to leave. Now_ " the voice screamed again, hitting Klaus in the head and separating him from the blonde.

"Wait for me! I'll come for you" the man said, before leaving the dark dimension for good. Before leaving Camille alone.

" _You didn't tell him_ " whispered the Sleeping Clockwork inside her mind.

"He doesn't need to know" Cami responded her, aloud.

" _That was your choice_."

And deep down, she wouldn't have wanted to reveal him anything; the fact that she had chosen to see him, one last time, trading her salvation with the dark object. He would have never forgiven himself.

So she'd have continued to sleep until her duty whit the dark object wouldn't be gone.

"I guess that makes me immortal, now" she murmured, with her eyes full of tears.


End file.
